Children's Museum in Boston

The Children's Museum is one of the main attractions in the city of Boston, especially for those travelling with children. It has inspired hundreds of museums around the world for decades, with the clear idea that play is not only fun, but is the foundation of childhood learning.

This museum houses several exhibits focused on science, culture, art, environmental awareness and even children's health. They'll climb large structures, perform on a stage, turn on lights with the power of their muscles and even create robotics projects...definitely one of the most visited museums in Boston.

General admission to this museum costs approximately 18 euros. Tickets (which require advance booking) can be purchased online at the following link.

To purchase tickets you must specify the date and time range (2 time blocks: morning and afternoon) of your visit in advance.

A money-saving option. On Sundays, in the afternoon time block, general admission costs less than 1 euro.

Playspace, an exhibition with additional booking

Playspace is an exhibition especially dedicated to children from 0 to 3 years old and their caregivers, who can spend an hour playing and learning together.

Admission to this space is free. Online bookings are required (in addition to general admission) to guarantee entry to this exhibition.

Playspace allows a maximum of 4 bookings to be made in a single transaction.

This museum does not have a direct ticketing option at the box office. All purchases, along with the booking, must be made online.

My advice is to book well in advance, as this museum is one of the best children's activities in Boston and may be crowded at certain times of the year.

That's right! The Go Boston Card is a great option that includes the Boston Children's Museum, so you can enjoy this museum and many other attractions in Boston while saving a lot of money!

If you have the Go Boston Card, the entrance to the museum is free. All you have to do is arrive and scan your card and those of all your companions at the museum entrance area. And I'm telling you! If you have your Go Boston Card with you, you still need to make an online reservation at this link to enter the museum.

At this museum, children under the age of one get in free, but even if you don't pay admission for them, they must be included in your online booking.

Also, don't forget the Playspace exhibition, where children from 0 to 3 years old, together with their carers, will have a special space for playing and learning, which is also free of charge.

Due to the interactive nature of this museum, its size and its target audience, there are no guided tours for visitors. However, there are some forms of guidance within the museum:

• Activities and projects: in some of the exhibits (such as Art Lab and STEAM Lab) there are usually support staff who organise, lead activities and offer help to children.

• Special tours: specially geared for children with hearing impairments (using American Sign Language "ASL") to help them get the most out of the experience. These tours are scheduled on a regular monthly basis. Please consult the museum's calendar of events and activities for more details.

The museum is easily accessible by public transportation. You can get there by land, underground and even by water. Here are a few options.

Train and underground

• Train: South Station. It is a 15 minute walk from the museum.
• Underground: Aquarium Station. Located about 17 minutes walk from the museum.

Bus:

The bus is the closest means of transport to the museum. There are 6 stations in the surrounding area, located between 3 and 10 minutes away. These are: Courthouse, Seaport Blvd & Sleeper St, Summer St & South Station (Red Line Entrance), Boston South Station and Essex St & Atlantic Ave. Some of the lines that run through these stations are SLW, SL1, SL2, 4, 7 and 11.

It is also possible that some of the tram tours of the city will drop you off near the museum.

Ferry

Rowes Wharf, Long Wharf (South) and Long Wharf (North) stations will take you to the museum. However, you will need to walk up to 20 minutes from the station to get to the museum.

For more details on these tours, please see this page.

The Boston Children's Museum has more than 20 permanent attraction spaces, where curiosity and creativity as the basis for learning are stimulated in a constant play environment. In fact, whatever you find here, the little ones will want to try it.

A museum where you can touch and play with everything there is... it's paradise for any child, don't you think? Of course, as with everything there are some rules to follow, but really! They're going to love it.

New Balance Foundation Climb

As soon as you enter this museum you'll be greeted by one of the most popular attractions: the New Balance Foundation Climb, an incredible 3-level structure with platforms and climbing ramps inside.

Climbing up this large vertical maze is a challenging and fun experience for kids as they search for the best routes and study their next move. You too will have fun watching the little ones solve this curious 3D puzzle in front of you.

Bubbles

Another popular exhibit is Bubbles. Translated as 'soap bubbles'... Yes. Exactly. What child do you know who doesn't love making soap bubbles? Well, you'll know why it's so popular.

Fenway Farms

In its efforts to educate and raise awareness of current issues, some of the museum's exhibits include installations where you'll learn about the environment, health and energy.

Here, we can find Fenway Farms, a small space where children are taught about gardens and the origin of food, the KidPower exhibit , where they will discover how powerful an active lifestyle and healthy nutrition can be on their well-being, and Our Green Trail, where they will learn about the actions implemented by this certified "green building" museum to reduce its environmental impact.

New technologies

Continuing with modern themes, being part of these newtechnological generations, another area that attracts the attention of the children is STEAM Lab, where they will learn to apply concepts in areas such as science, technology, art and mathematics in projects and activities that promote their creativity, curiosity and critical thinking.

The projects vary depending on the day you visit the museum, but I can tell you that they range from programming a robot or designing a luminous insect, to making an ornament with a laser cutting machine. It's a very interesting experience and the children will be able to create something to take home with them.

Performing arts

For those with an artistic soul, the museum has a small theatre called Kidstage. Here, children will get to know the world of the performing arts at close quarters. In this space, small children's theatre productions are presented every day with professional actors and staff members and, best of all, children are invited to participate!

So if you have a little dancer, singer, musician or comedian at home... take a stroll here. You'll love to see the little ones happy, showing off talents that you already know them for or that here, you'll be surprised to learn about!

Another stage that will delight young and old alike is Japanese House, a traditional house from ancient Japan that was brought to this continent and carefully reconstructed and decorated to show the history of those who lived there. In this house, there are also temporary exhibitions related to the daily life, traditions and art of the time. Visiting this charming little house is a unique experience, as even in Japan, there are very few of them left.

The time block you have booked, which lasts 3 hours, will be enough for the children to see and enjoy all that this museum has to offer.

You can arrive at any time within that time block...but you will not be allowed to leave and return for the next time block. Therefore, I suggest that you be punctual and make the most of your allotted time.

The museum is open to the public from Wednesday to Sunday. There are 2 time blocks each day: one from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm (morning) and the other from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm (afternoon). If you arrive first thing in the morning of your block, you will have up to 3 hours of access to the museum, enough time to see it from start to finish.

So you won't be caught unawares! On the first Sunday of the month, the museum opens at 10:00 am.

And you should also consider that there are national holidays (such as Martin Luther King's birthday) or public holidays (Christmas) when the museum may be closed or its opening hours may change.

You can get a complete list of these holidays on their website.

• Food and drink. The museum allows you to bring your own food, which you can eat in the special food hall on the first floor. However, you are asked to consider not bringing peanut or other nut butters, to reduce the risk of reactions in children who are allergic to these foods. Also, you may bring water to drink. In the museum, there is no way to refill the bottles, but there are machines that sell drinks inside the museum.
• Bringing very young children? If you are attending the museum with children under the age of three, you will want to take them to the Playspace. You should be aware that this space does not allow children over the age limit, so if there are older siblings, they will need to bring another adult with them to the other exhibits.
• Looking for more information about the museum's temporary exhibitions? If you want to have a better idea of what will be presented on the day of your visit, you can check the calendar of activities on their website.

In the museum shop you will find all kinds of gifts. From cuddly toys and books, to a wide range of games and educational materials, clothes and fun items that any child will enjoy.

For your children or to take home as a gift on your way home, you'll find the ideal gift for the little ones in this shop.

You can enter the Children's Museum with lunch, under certain conditions. Now, if you're looking for a place to eat in this neighbourhood, which is famous for its restaurants, I'll start by recommending...a huge bottle of milk?

Well, in addition to a spectacular view of the Fort Point Channel neighbourhood , one of the most eye-catching things around the museum is...yes, a giant milk bottle, or as they call it here: Hood Milk Bottle.

Although it may seem strange to you, this bottle, one of the most iconic structures in the port, is actually a small restaurant with desserts, drinks, salads, hamburgers and other snacks. It was built in 1933, housing the first fast food restaurant in the United States.

Another option is Pastoral Pizza, a pizza and pasta bar-restaurant with a menu that includes handmade wood-fired pizzas and many other southern Italian dishes made in an organic and homemade style. A very good quality restaurant, close to the museum and a must visit if you are looking for an Italian menu which, by the way, is never lacking in the American scene.

Now, if seafood is your thing and you want to try the ones prepared in Massachusetts Bay, I suggest The Barking Crab, a very popular restaurant among locals and visitors, including celebrities.

It offers a delicious menu that includes various specialties of lobster, shrimp, clams, tuna... and, lest you forget you're still in America, burgers and fries.

This restaurant is located a few metres down the road from the museum, opposite the Fort Point Channel. It definitely deserves to be part of any gastronomic tour of Boston.

And for dessert, or simply because you have a sweet tooth, I suggest Flour Bakery, a café where you'll find cakes, chocolate and muffins, but also fresh salads...better not to let it be seen that you're a greedy eater.

In this café, located two streets away from the museum, you will also find gluten-free options, and no, I don't mean the salads, right?

There are many options for eating in this area of the city. If you want to take a look at some more, here's a link.